Marriage Services

City Hall Wedding Requirements

Ceremonies are available in both French and English and are non-denominational in nature. The service lasts approximately 30 minutes.

City staff are trained and designated by the City Clerk and will act as officiants to solemnize the ceremony. The civil marriage service will be a non-denominational ceremony, which adheres to all legal requirements.

The following is a list of additional options for the marriage ceremony:

Applicants may choose from three ceremony scripts. The scripts will be provided by the City upon request.

Applicants may choose to personalize certain parts of the script, including the vows. All customizations must be submitted in writing to the City Clerk’s Department.

Personalized music is permitted and may be played off of an ipod, iphone, usb or laptop.

Small flower arrangements are permitted, but must be removed by the applicants at the conclusion of the ceremony.

As the ceremony is held in a public space, the following options are not permitted at the ceremony or on the grounds of the venue:

Candles, confetti, rice, incense, bubbles, or similar.

*Please note that receptions and post-ceremony festivities cannot be accomodated at City Hall.

Interpreters

The ceremony will be conducted in English or French. If you do not understand or read English or French, you must provide your own interpreter and he/she must provide identification. The interpreter may not be one of the witnesses.

Location

Civil marriage ceremonies are conducted at one of the following locations:

Mayor’s Foyer (2nd Floor, Council Building)

Council Chambers

West Committee Room

North Committee Room

City Clerk’s Board Room

Outside on City Hall Grounds

* Please note that we require all participants to be present at City Hall at least 15 minutes in advance of the scheduled start time.

Appointments

Book an appointment online in the "Book an Appointment" tab below.

Fees

The fee for a Civil Marriage Ceremony is $500.00 + GST, payable in cash (Canadian Funds only), debit or by credit card (Visa or Mastercard). The fee does not include the cost of a marriage licence ($100), which must be purchased separately, either in person at the City Clerk's Department, or at any one of the registered marriage licence issuers in Manitoba.

A $100 deposit is required to confirm the date and time of the ceremony. In the event of a cancellation, the deposit is fully non-refundable. The remaining balance must be paid in full ten days prior to your appointment. Remaining fees paid are refundable up to seven days prior to the scheduled ceremony, and non-refundable within seven days or less.

Change of Date

Any change of date made 7 days or more before the ceremony will be subject to a $50 + GST administration fee and is subject to availability. Changes of date made less than 7 days before the ceremony are treated as a cancellation.

Requirements

Applicants must bring the following to the appointment:

Valid photo identification for each applicant

A valid Marriage Licence (purchased at least 24 hours before the marriage (Manitoba marriage licences are only valid for three months).

Two Witnesses: Couples must provide two witnesses (one for each partner) who must be present at the ceremony. The City of Winnipeg does not provide witnesses.

Identification

Each applicant is required to bring valid identification (photocopies are not acceptable). Acceptable documents for identification can include:

Birth Certificate

Passport or US Passport Card

Citizenship Certificate (Canadian or United States)

Canada Immigration documents

Canadian Armed Forces Identification Card

Government of Canada Indian Status Card

Driver's Licence (photo ID) with one of the following:

Manitoba Health Card

Senior Citizen Card/Old Age Security Card

Change of Name Certificate

Social Insurance Card

Requirements for Marriage Licence

Divorced

Divorced persons are required to show one of:

Divorce Certificate; or

Decree Absolute

Widowed

persons whose spouse is deceased must show:

Death Certificate or

Funeral Home Statement of Death; or

Obituary clipping from the newspaper

Marriage Ineligibility

City staff will not solemnize the marriage of any person who he or she knows or has reasonable grounds to believe lacks capacity to marry. Circumstances rendering a person ineligible for the civil marriage include:

One or both parties are under physical or mental duress

One or both parties fail to meet the age requirements

The parties are related as grandparent, parent, child, grandchild, brother or sister

One or both parties are currently married

One or both parties are mentally ill or under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs and incapable of understanding the nature of the marriage contract and the duties, obligations and responsibilities that result from marriage. If the person solemnizing a marriage has any doubts as to the mental capacity of the parties, or one of the parties, he/she may refuse to perform the ceremony.

Book an Appointment

Appointments

Appointments are available on Fridays between noon and 4 p.m. (excluding statutory holidays) and must be booked at least 14 days in advance. The length of the ceremony lasts approximately 30 minutes.

Requests for ceremonies outside of the scheduled hours may be accommodated, however additional fees may be required.

Book an Appointment Online

Please note that your requested date is tentative until you are contacted by the City Clerk’s Department.

Your personal information is being collected under the authority of s.36(1)(b) of The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This information will be used to administer the civil marriage ceremony program and will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes, except as authorized by law. If you have any questions about the collection of this information, contact the Corporate FIPPA Coordinator by mail to City Clerk’s Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg MB, R3B 1B9, or by telephone at 311.